Curry Leaf Powder

Curry leaves powder is a dry chutney powder made with curry leaves, urad dal, channa dal, dry red chilies, pepper corns and garlic. There are many dry chutney powders (podi vagaigal) made by the Tamil Brahmin community. It is also common in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The good thing about dry chutney powders is that it can be stored for several months. It comes in handy when you don't have time to prepare other curries or side dish. This curry leaf powder, also known as karuveppilai podi is one such podi. Some other popular podis include the paruppu podi (lentil chutney), poondu podi (garlic chutney) and thengai podi (coconut chutney). I will be sharing these and other podi recipes in the coming days.

Karuveppilai Podi takes very little time to make. It can be made when you have a big batch of curry leaves on hand. We all know the goodness of curry leaves that it is good for eyes and hair. Curry leaf powder goes well with some plain rice mixed with plain rice. It can also be served as a side with idli, dosa, chapati or idiappam. I have mixed curry leaves powder with beaten eggs to make tasty omelette. I have also used it to make lachha paratha. Whenever I have left over idiyappam, i like to it and mix it with some curry leaf powder. It tastes very good. Well, I'm sure there must be many more creative ideas to use this powder once you have a jar of it ready. Do share your innovative ideas (if you have any) below in the comments section. So don't delay, make it now.

Recipe For Curry Leaves Powder

Preparation time: 2 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Makes: 1 cup

Ingredients

Curry Leaves - about 1 cup packed

Urad Dal - 2 tbsp

Channa Dal - 1 tbsp

Dry Red Chilies - 5

Peppercorns - 5

Garlic - 1 clove

Method

Dry roast the urad dal and channa dal for 5-8 minutes on low heat till it turns golden brown in color. It is very important for the flame to be in low. If not all the dals would get burnt.

Add the dry red chilies, garlic clove, peppercorns and curry leaves. Toss them constantly till they turn crisp (about 4-5 minutes). The leaves will become crispy such that the leaves will break even when pressed between fingers.

Turn off the heat and cool everything.

Take all the ingredients in a mixie or blender along with required salt. Make a grainy powder.

Store this in a dry container for up to 6 weeks.

Serving Suggestions

Mix the powder with white rice and top with some ghee/oil to make instant curry leaf rice.

You can also serve as a side for idli, dosa, chapatti etc.

Variation

After roasting all the ingredients, you can grind it along with little water and required salt. This is more like a thick chutney and is commonly known as Karuvepilai Thuvayal (Curry Leaf Chutney).